There were times when games were tight and the ball fell from the sky just beyond his outstretched hands that Andre Caldwell knew he could run faster. He knew the pain on the inside of his upper leg wasn’t getting any better. He knew his performance wasn’t making him any happier.

He knew it all as the months went by, when the only constants were pain, frustration and the nagging feeling something undiscovered was wrong.

“I mean, two years went by,” the Broncos wide receiver said. “I kept getting treatment. It kept not getting better and finally the pain got so bad I couldn’t even really sleep through the night. So I finally went to a specialist, and he checks me out and said, ‘You’ve got a sports hernia, and it needs to taken care of.’

“Right then, I just felt that relief, like a huge weight was off. I know I can be one of those impact guys and now my body’s right. I’m with this team, with this quarterback, this is big.”

The Broncos certainly hope so. They dived into the free-agent market looking for speed at wideout and believed Caldwell could resurrect the form he showed in 2009 when he made a career-high 51 catches for Cincinnati.

Caldwell not only believes he can turn back the clock to 2009, but that he can do even more with his health and Peyton Manning behind center. Cincinnati, where he played for four seasons, played him inside in the slot much of the time. But the Broncos have moved him all over the field in various formations.

“There’s a place for me in this offense to make big plays to help this team win,” Caldwell said. “When Denver made that move at quarterback, this spot became a No. 1 priority for me.”

“Bubba Caldwell has excellent speed,” Manning said. “It’s a rare speed to get deep on corners. You can tell when they’re covering him, if you miss one step he can run right by you. I like working with Bubba and I think he has a lot of explosive plays in him.”

Caldwell traces the drop-off from that 51-catch season to a 25-catch effort in 2010 and a 37-catch output last season, to an Aug. 20, 2010, preseason game against the Eagles. Caldwell said he made a cut, felt something pop, and so began his two-year odyssey back to 100 percent.

Caldwell was one of the fastest players at the NFL scouting combine in 2008 with a 4.37-second 40-yard dash. He had left the University of Florida as the school’s all-time leading receiver with 185 catches. Caldwell suddenly became a possession receiver who didn’t feel like he could hit overdrive. The Bengals placed him on injured reserved last December, and that’s when Caldwell had his surgery.

“You know for two years I would try to run, to be explosive, and I just never felt like it was there,” Caldwell said. “My legs were moving, but I knew I had more in there. It was very frustrating. (The Bengals) were bringing in receivers year after year. I was playing in the slot, and I just wasn’t explosive. I didn’t feel like I do now.”

Andre Caldwell, though he doesn’t have the history with Manning that tight end Jacob Tamme and wide receiver Brandon Stokley do, showed a quality rapport with Manning early on in the offseason workouts, then in training camp.

His versatility should be a good fit in an offense that figures to move its pass catchers all over the formation in search of the best matchups.

“If you’re a receiver, you’re going to want to be here,” Caldwell said. “With Peyton, it’s all about getting to the spot he wants us to be in. I got the easy part. I run the route, and he does everything else and puts the ball on the money. So just be there and put your hands up. Wherever you are, he’s going to hit you.

“But I came here with a purpose, with a point to prove, and to help a team win some games. This is as healthy as I’ve been since my second season, and I had 51 catches that year. I know there’s more in me and I’ve waited a long time to get it out.”

WASHINGTON — Thirty games into the 82-game NHL season, and nearly six weeks after the Matt Duchene trade, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic discussed the state of his team before Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at the Washington Capitals.